Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day (2008)

Guinevere Pettigrew (Frances McDormand) doesn't suffer fools and has has lost yet another nanny position due to her no nonsense attitude. Unemployed and homeless in London at the turn of the Century, Miss Pettigrew seizes an opportunity by sneakily answering Delysia Lafosse's (Amy Adams) request for an assistant. Hopeful American starlet, Miss Lafosse finds herself in a pickle. Caught between three men, Michael, Nick, and Phil--all who can offer her different things, Delysia must choose between them. Soon inseparable, Delysia and her new social secretary Miss Pettigrew are navigating the myriad of parties and men of high society with hysterical results.

Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day is a charming romance set in the 1940s. Lavish and wonderfully entertaining, the film knows exactly what it's doing. It's pure fluff, but all in extravagant fun. Amy Adams is enchanting as she bobs her way along. As Delysia, Adams is exuberant and aloof. Prim and proper as Miss Pettigrew, Frances McDormand is a hoot. She brings a wonderful comedic touch to the film. Her ongoing joke about eating is so subtle, you don't quite pick up on it until the film fades to black. It's funny in retrospect. Cirian Hinds (BBC staple and SO underrated) and Lee Pace play our love interests.

The film is extravagant with settings and costuming. Pre-war high society London is alive and vivacious. The film embraces the taboos of the day and enjoys them. The pace is lively and the big band score furthers the vibrant tone. The whole film is just bopping along; it's fresh and quite lovely.

Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day is lighthearted entertainment--a nice change to my melancholic, drama laden palate as of late. Perhaps the story is a bit far fetched, but it's almost too easy to enjoy this one thanks to genuine performances from the cast and lively settings.